


Catalyst

by thedementorskiss



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Kid Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-29
Updated: 2013-06-29
Packaged: 2017-12-16 13:46:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/862714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedementorskiss/pseuds/thedementorskiss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the issue of Teddy’s guardianship comes into question following Andromeda’s death, both Harry and Draco are asked to take care of the boy. Now two men who have been indifferent to each other at best following the war are forced together in raising a child that means the world to them both.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catalyst

**Author's Note:**

> Author/Artist LJ Name: [dementorsfic](http://dementorsfic.livejournal.com/)  
> Prompter: scford  
> Prompt Number: 17  
> Title: Catalyst  
> Pairing(s): Harry/Draco preslash  
> Summary: When the issue of Teddy’s guardianship comes into question following Andromeda’s death, both Harry and Draco are asked to take care of the boy. Now two men who have been indifferent to each other at best following the war are forced together in raising a child that means the world to them both.  
> Rating: PG-13  
> Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters herein are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No copyright infringement is intended.  
> Warning(s): Discussion of the custody of a minor, some strong language and preslash situations.  
> Epilogue compliant? Not Epilogue Compliant!  
> Word Count: ~8000  
> Author's Notes: I had a lot of fun writing this story as my first fic in this fandom. I do admit that I let the deadline get away with me and it isn’t as good as I wanted it to be, and I could see myself writing this fic to be much much longer, but I’m proud of the work I’ve produced here and I hope the prompter enjoys as well! I absolutely love Drarry and Teddy and combining them to make a little fictional family was amazing. Thanks to the mods for being so patient! :)

It was two years after the war that everything changed for one Draco Malfoy.  
  
The Malfoy name in the wizarding world was one of the most tainted following the fall of Voldemort, second only to Lestrange and once third after Snape, until Holy Harry Potter made a public announcement clearing the slimy snake’s name. That announcement was a bitter pill to swallow for those remaining in the Malfoy family, now two thirds of what they once were.   
  
Lucius had been charged and sentenced not two  _days_  after the dust had settled. Narcissa foolishly believed that Potter would speak up for them as well, to redeem her and her less than innocent son after how she supposedly kept him alive. After two entire years of living in exile, Draco was starting to believe that his mother had merely dreamt the whole ‘life debt’ thing. Holy Harry was a man of his word after all, according to the toads working at the Daily Prophet. He would never allow a  _life debt_  to go unpaid.  
  
Draco was actually starting to embrace his depressing existence, hiding away in France with his Grandfather’s half-sister, the last remaining sliver of a Malfoy outside of Draco himself. His countless French lessons as a child and his knack for appearance changing charms were a blessing when he quickly learned that he would be a fool to wear his own face around those that could recognize his Malfoy hair from miles away, like a sickening beacon of light. Ironically, he learned that lesson when he found himself on the losing side of a duel against a grieving and drunk George Weasley, who had escaped the rest of the redhead clan as they vacationed across Europe. Draco had escaped before things got too intense, hoping beyond hope that the last Weasley twin would chalk the encounter up to his firewhiskey drunk imagination. Draco had enough to worry about without wondering if he’d be sentenced for dueling an Order of Merlin First Class recipient. In the months immediately following the war, that medal meant  _everything_.  
  
Now, two entire years later, hair darker, pointy features magically softened, Draco Malfoy considered himself a completely different person. He hadn’t spoken English in months, he held a job as a clerk at a local apothecary, and he was finally making worthwhile acquaintances. His mother spent her days hoping for news from his father or, more than likely, waiting for word from Potter himself, as if he would finally remember her sacrifice. She wasn’t great fun to be around, her golden hair limp and her once sparkling blue eyes dull.   
  
  
Draco couldn’t care less if Potter ever redeemed their name, or if the English Wizarding World ever forgave their actions. He could see himself making a life in France. He didn’t need anyone’s pity or sympathy or assistance. He was doing fine on his own. At least, until one such day that an unrecognizable solicitor came through the Floo, a young boy in his arms, asking for the last living relation to the now deceased Andromeda Tonks, née Black.  
  


~

  
  
  
“I don’t understand. Andromeda wasn’t much older than me. How could she have just...died?” Narcissa had her hands in her lap, eyes wary as they flickered between the solicitor, the strange boy, and her just as confused son.  
  
“Andromeda was diagnosed with a type of muggle disease, typically rare in our Wizarding World. We believe this could have been due to her relationships with muggles, but for the past two years she has been living alone with her grandson, this boy here, Theodore Lupin.”  
  
“Lupin? As in Remus?” Draco spoke, slipping into English as if he hadn’t been speaking another language almost exclusively for more than twenty months. His eyes were wide as he started to put the pieces together in his own head.  
  
“Yes, Theodore is the son of the late Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, both of whom lost their lives in the final battle of the Second Wizarding War, a battle I believe you are both familiar with.” The solicitor’s thick face was impassive as he spoke, but his eyes said enough for his emotions; he was judging them.  
  
Narcissa flinched, her lips thin as she recomposed herself and frowned.  
  
“Yes, we are very familiar with that battle, thank you for the reminder. Regardless, I don’t understand why you’re here, with no previous notice might I add, with my late sister’s grandson.”  
  
“Theodore here is your great nephew by blood, and your son’s second cousin. The two of you are the last surviving blood relatives to this boy, and thus you must either accept guardianship of him until he reaches adulthood at age seventeen, or you can sign his guardianship over to his only surviving godparent.”  
  
Draco frowned, watching as the child silently played with a stuffed hippogriff, so wore down that it was missing a wing. The boy’s hair was bright teal, a feature that no doubt was caused by his morphing abilities, passed down from his mother. Draco might have never met his cousin Nymphadora, but he had definitely heard the gossip surrounding her being a metamorphmagus. Bellatrix had been quite vocal about how disgusting and wrong it was, and how it was a taint to the Black bloodline.  
  
A troubling thought suddenly came to Draco’s mind, and he frowned.  
  
“The boy’s father was a werewolf. Has that...passed on like his mother’s morphing has done?”  
  
Narcissa turned sharply towards her son as she heard his question, her eyes going just as wide as his as she considered the implication. They might have an untamed werewolf child not five feet away from them, an untamed werewolf child without guardianship.  
  
“Not that I know of,” the solicitor began, and Narcissa visibly relaxed. “Though there really is no way to tell. I can’t say I’ve ever heard of a werewolf having a child, but I’m sure if Theodore exhibited problematic symptoms, Andromeda would have let others know.”  
  
Draco nodded, again watching as the boy played. In the few moments of him looking away, the child’s hair had changed to a dark violet.  
  
“You mentioned a godparent...” Narcissa started and trailed off, her expression giving nothing away as she cut her unfinished question short.   
  
“Yes,” the solicitor frowned, looking as if he didn’t wish to continue.  
  
“Well? Who is it?”  
  
At that moment, the boy’s eyes locked on Draco’s. As he stared, the hazel eyes changed to a sickeningly familiar green and Draco knew. Before the solicitor took his last shaky breath to speak, he knew.  
  
“The child’s last living godparent is one Harry Potter.”  
  
  


  
~

  
  
  
In the two years since the end of the war, Harry Potter felt that he had yet to get a good night’s sleep. Between the first few months of testifying at sentencing, attending funerals, and giving interviews, he hadn’t even seen Hermione or Ron for more than a few hours at a time, if that. He kept himself going by telling himself that it was almost over, he was almost done, and then he could finally take a break and be a carefree wizard living far, far away from London. The last time he had told himself that and actually  _believed_  it was fifteen months after the war. It had been almost a year since then.  
  
That night in particular, Harry had only gotten to sleep at four am. Not a full three hours later, six owls were tapping at his window in dusty old 12 Grimmauld Place. He still hadn’t gotten around to cleaning anything other than occasionally asking Kreacher to do so.   
  
Indulging himself in a well-deserved yawn, Harry threw a handful of treats in the general direction of the delivery owls and began to read.  
  
The first few envelopes had only a couple of fan letters. Harry felt bad, but he had stopped reading anything that included  _“You’re my hero!”_  three months into the whole  _celebrity_  business. The fourth envelope that morning was different though, thicker, definitely more official. Tearing it open without a second thought, Harry began to read.  
  
_Harry James Potter,  
  
We at Loganberry  & Co Solicitors regret to inform you that at 2:37 AM, one Andromeda Tonks passed on after suffering from breast cancer, a typically muggle disease. Though her legal will lists you as guardian for her grandson, Theodore Remus Lupin, we must pursue more prominent legal avenues such as reaching out to the child’s last surviving relatives, whom we have identified as Narcissa Malfoy and Draco Malfoy. We will be in contact with you regarding the Malfoy family’s decision on claiming legal guardianship of Theodore Remus Lupin. We thank you for understanding and apologize for your loss.  
  
Rowenna Loganberry  
Loganberry & Co._  
  
Harry’s hands were shaking as he reached the end of the letter. He hadn’t even known that Andromeda was ill. The last time he had seen her was at Teddy’s second birthday party, which was only two weeks before. Regardless of how busy he had found himself over the past two years, Harry had made sure he spent as much time with Teddy as possible. He refused to have the boy grow up without knowing his godfather as Harry himself had done.  
  
As he reread the letter, Harry’s eyes stuck on the last names of Teddy’s last living blood relatives; the Malfoys. His vision went red.  
  


~

  
  
  
“Hermione!” Harry shouted, having just tumbled through Hermione’s floo, hair a mess, glasses askew, and still dressed in pajamas. “Hermione, are you here?!”  
  
Hermione stuck her head around the kitchen doorway, eyes wide.   
  
“Harry! What on Earth are you doing here? I thought you were meeting with the Under Secretary this morning!”  
  
Harry shook his head, breath heavy as he cringed.  
  
“Andromeda is dead.”  
  
Hermione gasped, one hand covering her shocked face.  
  
“Oh, Harry, I’m so sorry.”  
  
“They’re giving Teddy to the Malfoys.” Harry almost growled after a moment of silence, anger filling him. “Andromeda’s solicitor sent me an  _owl_  telling me she passed and that they’re approaching the Malfoys to see if _they’ll_  claim guardianship of Teddy, as if he’s someone’s possession!”  
  
Hermione’s confusion rapidly changed to match Harry’s anger, lips in a tight, determined line.  
  
“Let me go change; you should borrow an outfit of Ron’s now that you’re here. I’ll floo Percy right away and we’ll get this figured out. There’s no way that anyone would be okay with Harry Potter’s godson being under someone else’s guardianship, Malfoy or not.”  
  
  
  


  
~

  
  
It had been three days since that fateful Floo visit and Draco felt like he hadn’t slept a wink. After quickly discussing the situation with his mother, it became clear that they had no choice but to take the child into their custody. They had decided it would make most sense for Draco to have full guardianship as he was the next in line to the Malfoy line, once Lucius passed. The solicitor had been in contact about finalizing the guardianship as soon as possible when the inevitable happened; Harry found out, and he was not happy.  
  
Now, Draco was sitting in the living room, casually patting down some of Teddy’s messy green hair, awaiting the arrival of Andromeda’s solicitor. They would be accompanied by Harry and his own solicitor, no doubt the best his money and fame could afford, and Draco felt like he was going to be sick. It had been years since he’d seen the boy he used to bully in school, the same boy who had changed his entire life. While he didn’t care a bit what Potter thought of him and his family, Draco couldn’t suppress the same sick feeling that used to overcome him before one of their quite legendary disagreements in the halls of Hogwarts.   
  
He wasn’t sure if it was nerves, or anger, or anxiety over losing once more to Holy Harry Potter, but it made no sense, at least now. It had only been a few days since Draco had learned that he would be in charge of another life, he had had no time to bond with the child even if he had wanted to. Still, he was nervous about losing guardianship of the boy to Harry, and he wasn’t even sure that said nerves stemmed from having Potter beat him once more in his life. Teddy represented a new chance at redeeming himself, redeeming his family. Was it so surprising that he didn’t want to let go of that?  
  
Draco continued to brush his fingers through Teddy’s now pink hair. Draco’s own hair was back to his natural platinum, as were the rest of his previously changed features. He had no reason to hide now.   
  
Just as Draco handed Teddy one of the only toys he’d had come with, he heard voices begin to speak in the kitchen. It was time.  
  


~

  
  
It had been three days and Harry was close to losing his mind, patience, and sanity. At first, Percy had insisted that there was nothing they could do, especially with the very old blood laws in place linking Teddy more to the Malfoys than to Harry. It wasn’t until he had searched out the best solicitor he could afford that he finally got adequate replies about gaining custody of Teddy. Even if he hadn’t been Teddy’s godfather, the fact that Andromeda had specifically named him in her will meant a great deal, regardless of the blood laws. Add to that the fact that he himself was The-Boy-Who-Lived, and Merlin Fletchwack and Bros thought that they had a good case in arguing in Harry’s favor for the permanent custody and guardianship of Teddy Remus Lupin.  
  
They immediately got to work in negotiating with one Oscar Loganberry and the Malfoys. Now, Harry was all packed and ready for a very inconvenient trip to France, where the Malfoys had apparently been making new lives for themselves. Harry was nervous, and slightly angry, but mostly nervous. Today they were going to discuss a possible compromise and while he hadn’t liked that idea, he wasn’t ignorant or foolish enough to believe that, should the issue go all the way to the Wizengamot, he would be at a huge disadvantage. Blood still ruled much of the Wizarding World, even after the war. It was something he was advocating against, but  everything he was working on was put on hold. Taking care of his godson was his first priority now.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Harry took hold of the portkey supplied to him by his solicitor, just as the clock hit two o’clock, the designated time. He felt the pull in his abdomen as he whizzed through space, closing his eyes and opening them once he landed. He found himself standing outside of a large home that just screamed Malfoy. He was definitely in the right place.  
  
Hiking his bag higher up his shoulder, Harry took those few steps towards the door.   
  


~

  
  
Draco stood up as the group of people entered the room. Teddy was still in his arms, contentedly playing with Draco’s hair. His mother entered the room first, followed by Loganberry, an unknown but important looking solicitor no doubt representing Potter and finally, Potter himself.  
  
Harry looked as if he had aged ten years in the mere two that had passed. While at any other time he would have been overjoyed at the stupid man’s stress, now he found that he could empathize with him. Draco couldn’t begin to imagine how stressful it was to be at constant attention on the bad side of the Daily Prophet. All of that aside, the look in Potter’s eyes made Draco even more nervous than before, though he made sure that his face didn’t give anything away. Potter meant business, that much was for sure.  
  
“Mr Malfoy, Mrs. Malfoy, and Mr. Potter, we’re here today to hopefully find some sort of compromise regarding one Theodore Remus Lupin’s guardianship, taking into account not only Theodore’s well-being, but our wizarding laws and the wishes of Theodore’s previous guardian, the late Andromeda Tonks.” Harry’s solicitor started to speak. “My name is Merlin Fletchwack III and I’m representing Mr. Harry Potter.”  
  
“And I’m Oscar Loganberry, representing the Malfoy family and the late Andromeda Tonks.”  
  
Everyone took a seat and Draco placed Teddy on the plush carpet, smiling as the boy’s hair changed from pink back to his typical teal.  
  
“First and foremost,” Merlin Fletchwack began, breaking Draco’s attention, “One of the main points my client and I possess is the fact that Theodore Lupin’s late parents, Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, named Harry Potter as godfather even before the child’s birth. They clearly trusted the character and personality of my client, regardless of any blood ties. Furthermore, this sentiment was also reflected in Andromeda Tonks’ last will and testament.”  
  
“While that’s all well and good, my clients Draco Malfoy and Narcissa Malfoy are the last living blood relatives to the boy. After the past few troubling years of the war, it’s not a surprise that people believe being raised by family help a child’s general development.”  
  
“I disagree,” Harry spoke up, and Draco’s eyes immediately flickered over to the man at how angry he sounded. “I was raised by my  _own_  last living blood relatives, and they were horrible people. That argument is very far from valid.”  
  
“True, but said relatives were muggles.”  
  
“And?” Potter interrupted Loganberry. “Blood status has nothing to do with raising a child.”  
  
“In the words of our law, Mr. Potter, it actually has a lot to do with how a child is raised.”  
  
Harry frowned, and Draco frowned right back when their eyes met, while all the while Teddy played on the floor in silence.  
  
“What about the boy’s well-being? How could you entrust the fate of Teddy’s guardianship to a family clearly living in exile?”  
  
Narcissa visibly flinched at this and Draco glared.  
  
“And whose fault is that, Potter? My mother saved your  _worthless_  life and instead of acknowledging that, you sat back and allowed us to be run out of England. We had no  _choice_. Harmless threats start to add up and mean something when they begin to actually cause harm.”  
  
Everything was silent all at once as Harry sat forward, elbows on his knees, looking more tired than he had before.  
  
“I just want what’s best for Teddy. I grew up an orphan and it sucks. I can be there for him. I can tell him about his parents’ sacrifice when he’s old enough. I can be everything to him that I myself didn’t have.”  
  
“Could you, though?” Narcissa asked, lips pursed. “Word has it that you spend every day fiddling around at the Ministry and at charity events and various functions. While that’s all well and good, how can you expect to devote time to Teddy? You say you want to give him a better life but really, how often did you visit when he lived with my sister, and out of those visits, how often did you give Teddy one hundred percent of your attention?”  
  
Draco watched as Potter put his head in his hands, and just for a moment, he felt bad for the man.  
  
“Look, we can sit here all day and argue but we’ll get nothing done.” Harry’s solicitor spoke. “We came here to try and compromise and keep this from turning into a drawn out fight involving the Wizengamot. I think we all know that that would get us nowhere fast and then Theodore’s wellbeing will truly be sacrificed as he’s moved place to place during the trial.”  
  
“So what would you suggest?”  
  
Both solicitor’s shared a look, just as Draco and Harry did as well. Somehow, Draco knew exactly what was going to be said before either solicitor opened their mouths.  
  
“Joint custody.”  
  


~

  
  
It had been only a week into the new arrangement and Draco knew that something had to change. While everything was being finalized, Teddy was being carted back and forth between Potter’s home and the home Draco was staying in in France. Even when he finally found a place back in England to live full time, Draco knew that this back and forth situation was just not going to work. He found that just as he was starting to get to know the little child and bond with him, it was time for the boy to leave and go to Harry and upon his return, it was as if he didn’t recognize Draco at all. At first he wasn’t going to bring it up with Potter whatsoever, but after it kept happening, he knew that he had to speak up before the situation became more permanent.  
  
“Listen, Potter,” Draco began when he finally got the guts not only to figure out what to say, but to also approach Potter in a way that didn’t make him sound like a blubbering idiot. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed anything, and it might be different because you’ve known Teddy for longer, or whatever, but every time he leaves here to go stay with you, when he comes back, it’s like I have to work double-time to get him to even recognize me more than just a familiar face. If we’re going to be...raising him, together, as silly as it sounds, it might be more beneficial to...be together.”  
  
Those last few words had definitely not been in the prewritten script, but there was no taking them back now. Draco wasn’t even sure how he meant it. He had no feelings whatsoever for Potter, other than bitter contempt, but his physical body and mental state were just too tired from the past few years and more specifically, the last few weeks, that he wasn’t about to let his previous pride hold him back.  
  
Draco hesitantly let his eyes meet with Harry’s as the other man frowned, clearly deep in thought.  
  
“I was actually hoping that this was what this conversation was going to be about,” Harry began, before his cheeks immediately began to redden. “Wait, that’s not, well...you know what I mean.”  
  
Their eyes locked, and Draco gave a shaky smile.  
  
“Yeah...”  
  
“What I mean to say is, Teddy acts the same way around me, even though like you said, I  _have_  known him longer than you. It’s like he forgets all of the time we spent together, or the new things I’ve taught him the second he comes to stay with me. Granted it can’t be easy going back and forth all of the time, especially by Floo but...I think I agree with your proposition.”  
  
Now it was Draco’s turn to blush, but internally he tried hard to fight it.  
  
“I haven’t really propositioned anything yet, it was just an idea. A stupid idea, really, but...I figure it’s smarter to bring it up now rather than to wait until I pay for a place back in London only for the same to continue.”  
  
Harry began to frown again, eyes flickering over to watch the silent little boy playing by himself, whose hair was currently a lovely shade of yellow.  
  
“I mean...I’m not sure if you know or care, but I do have a house and ironically enough...it kind of should have gone to you once my godfather died.  
  
“You live in the Black house?” Draco questioned after a few seconds of thought. “There’s tons of space in that place but the last I remember even looking at pictures of the place, it was a dump.” The blush Draco was trying to hide was out in full force now, both at the realization that he had sort-of kind-of implied that he should stay in one of the many rooms at the Black house, as well as unconsciously insulting the house Harry had probably been living in for years.  
  
Thankfully, Harry began to laugh.   
  
“Yeah, it kind of was, and it still kind of is, but I haven’t really had the time to devote to redecorating the place. The best I do is have the house elf clean every so often.”  
  
Draco nodded, eyes trailing off to watch as Teddy hugged one of his stuffed animals.  
  
“But...I mean, I’m not super excited about inviting you to live in my house, but maybe to see if it works better for now with Teddy. At least until he’s a bit older. I have to uh, admit that when I first thought of compromising with you on his guardianship, I was really angry, but after the last few days of thinking it over and talking about it with Hermione -” Draco cringed, and Harry noticed. “Which is another thing, you’re going to have to put that aside if you’re going to be staying at Grimmauld Place for a while. But...yeah, thinking about it, it makes sense. And I really have no ill-will towards you, after everything.”  
  
This, Draco was surprised at.  
  
“I wish you would have said that a few years ago.” He frowned. “Mother has been a wreck, though I’m sure you can’t tell behind the cold facade she put up the other day. She’s been hoping you’d do the same for us as you did...Snape.”  
  
Internally, Draco sighed. He might as well tell  _all_  of his secrets to Holy Harry while he was at it.  
  
Harry actually looked embarrassed at that, diverting his attention down to Teddy who was now sitting at Draco’s feet, patting his socked foot. The action brought a smile to both men’s faces, yet as their eyes met, the smiles faltered.  
  
“Look Potter, I still don’t like you, even though I’ve spoken a lot about my personal thoughts to you today. It’s going to take me a while to get over everything, and I’m sure that’s the same for you, but. I don’t know. It wouldn’t be right for Teddy to grow up without people that love him, and even if you don’t agree, a lot of that stems from it being family. He’ll want to feel like he actually belongs somewhere, even if you had made sure he was safe and happy his entire life. I think I can give him that. It’s not like I have to worry about a career or life or relationships getting in the way; I’ve been spending the last two years hiding out here and working for people who know less about potion-making than I do, and I didn’t even finish my seventh year.”  
  
Draco couldn’t help the sad smile that overtook his face as he looked down at Teddy, thinking back on his own childhood and life. Even though he barely knew the child, Draco knew that he would do all that he could to make sure that things were different for his cousin.  
  


~

  
  
Harry lay in bed that first night after Draco moved in to 12 Grimmauld Place, staring up at the ceiling and just thinking about how his life had changed recently. While he certainly didn’t think himself friends with Malfoy, he had to admit that he could see that the other man was just as devoted to taking care of Teddy as he himself was. It was true that it would have only gotten harder to keep shipping the boy back and forth between the two of them, and it really only seemed logical to stay together, at least until Teddy was old enough to understand what was going on. That didn’t stop his friends, Ron in particular, from not liking the idea though.  
  
Ron had argued tooth and nail that Malfoy was no better now than he was those two years ago, and that Harry was mental for even entertaining the idea of the ex-Death Eater living in Sirius’ old home. That had been a low blow, but after a few days of silence between the two, Ron came along with Hermione to apologize. After that things went a bit smoother, but Harry couldn’t help but think that Ron was one hundred percent wrong.  
  
For one thing, Harry knew that Malfoy had most certainly changed from two years ago. He could tell just by watching the way the pale man interacted with Teddy, a bright smile overtaking his normally stiff, aristocratic face. While he may not entirely like the man, he could respect him for stepping up. A more important aspect was that Harry actually trusted Draco for some strange reason, and that would be more than necessary for when Harry eventually got busy again with boring functions and Ministry inquiries and the other rash of things he was used to entertaining in his life, regardless of how much he liked them or not.  
  
It had been a bit awkward earlier that day, as the two men hadn’t known exactly how to act around each other. Narcissa had been there as well, a fact that definitely disconcerted Harry. While he was starting to get used to Draco, he still hadn’t had a full conversation with the older Malfoy woman. He could even admit that seeing her around Teddy made him a little nervous. She never did anything to make him think this way, especially after everything she had done for him, but he just wasn’t used to the woman.   
  
Between helping Draco unpack his room, taking care of Teddy, trying to avoid Kreacher at all costs, and keeping an extra eye on Narcissa as much as he could, Harry was tired. Even as he had all of these thoughts floating through his head, he couldn’t fight the fact that he was exhausted. Closing his eyes and curling up in his bed, he let sleep take him.  
  
At least until Teddy started screaming.  
  
Harry jumped up immediately, eyes and hair wild as he reached for his glasses on the nightstand and raced towards his godson’s bedroom, right across from his own. He paused in the doorway though, eyes going even wider as he watched a just as distressed Draco holding the boy in his arms and shushing him in quiet tones.  
  
Harry stood in the doorway for a few minutes, nervously patting down his messy hair and watching as Malfoy soothed the boy, singing him a song under his breath that was only just loud enough for Harry the tones but not the exact words. It took under five minutes for the child to fall right back asleep and Harry stood, holding his breath, as Draco put Teddy back in his crib and turned towards him.  
  
“Sorry, I was already awake when he started screaming so I figured I’d take care of it.”  
  
“No, you don’t...you don’t have to be sorry. Thanks.” Harry smiled as the two left the room and closed the door behind them, careful not to awaken the boy. “I have to admit, you have a way with him that I don’t. It normally takes me quite a while to get him to go back down.”   
  
Draco shrugged, leaning against the wall between his room and Harry’s.  
  
“What were you singing, anyway?”  
  
“Oh, just a little French lullaby my mother used to sing to me as a child that I remembered. I’m surprised you noticed.”  
  
It was Harry’s turned to shrug, and he smiled, scratching at his head.  
  
“Well, I’m gonna...go back to bed. Quite a first night, huh?” Harry chuckled nervously, but a bit less so when Draco shared his smile.  
  
“Yeah. See you in the morning, Potter.”  
  
Harry watched Draco turn from him and walk a bit down the hall before turning into his room, closing the door behind him. He sighed.  
  
“Goodnight, Malfoy.”  
  


~

  
  
Over the next few weeks, things started to get considerably better. Harry started getting back to work, while Draco spent his days with Teddy, playing with him, reading with him, and even showing him simple spells to the delight of the young boy. It wasn’t until Hermione mentioned something during yet another tense dinner between her, Ron, Harry and himself that Draco started to think that things might not be all well and good.  
  
“I’m actually a bit surprised Teddy hasn’t spoken yet. I’m sure it’s perfectly fine, but normally by his age, children are speaking numerous words and even forming sentences.”  
  
Draco and Harry shared a look before simultaneously looking over to where Teddy was playing, silently, just like always.  
  
“He hasn’t said a single thing?”  
  
“Not to me.”  
  
“Me neither.”  
  
Everyone at the table frowned, clearly concerned. Neither Harry nor Draco had even brought up the fact that Teddy hasn’t spoken yet. Draco had always assumed that he was saying things around Harry, and Harry thought the same of Draco.  
  
“What do you suggest we do?” Draco asked, eyes trained on Hermione’s. “I suppose I could ask my mother if she knows of any mediwizards experienced in child development, if I must.”  
  
Harry and Draco shared a look again, and in that moment they were one in their concern for Teddy.  
  
“Yes, that would probably be wise. Fleur and Bill’s daughter was saying quite a few words even by fifteen months, and Teddy is well beyond that point. I’m sure it’s fine, but it might be better to check on it now just in case.”  
  
Draco and Harry nodded, an identical frown on both of their faces. Regardless of the awkwardness of the last few weeks of getting to know each other and getting over the past, there was this one thing to bond them; fear.  
  
It only took a few days for Draco to set up an appointment with a mediwizard his mother had suggested, who was highly regarded amongst many of the pure-blood families that Draco grew up around. He made sure to leave this info out of his conversations with Harry since he didn’t feel like arguing over blood status once more, but Draco knew that going to the best of the best was the only way he would stop worrying about Teddy.  
  
The three of them had nervously entered the mediwizard’s office just a short week following the conversation with Hermione; Teddy was nervous about being in a new place, Harry was nervous about finding out what was wrong with his godson, and Draco was nervous about Harry’s approval of the place. The last thing he needed was for the appointment to not go as planned and for Potter to put the blame on him for not being able to find out what was wrong with Teddy, if anything was wrong at all.  
  
They sat waiting, avoiding the curious looks from other patients, until Draco’s name was called and the three of them followed the mediwitch down the hallway towards a private room, Teddy squirming in Draco’s arms, trying to get down. Draco placed the boy on the patient bed as soon as they entered the room and took the seat furthest from it, offering the closer seat to Harry. He didn’t have time to think about the look Potter had sent his way after that act just then, but it was something he filed away for later.  
  
“Hello, Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Potter.” A distinguished, older looking man greeted them as he entered the room. “And this here must be Theodore! How are you doing, child?”  
  
“He goes by Teddy.” Harry spoke up, voice cracking a bit, giving away his nervousness. “And that’s kind of why we’re here today...he hasn’t said a single thing to either of us, ever.”  
  
The mediwizard hummed, pulling up a chair and sitting face to face with Teddy. He proceeded to check the boy’s heart, ears, and eyes before sitting back.  
  
“Well, he’s fine physically. He’s just a little past two years old, you said?”  
  
“Closer to two and a half, now.” Draco supplied, eyes watching as Teddy looked around, taking in his surroundings. “We always talk at him, read him stories, sing to him. I’m positive my aunt, his grandmother, did the same too. She was the one who was raising him until she passed.”  
  
“Hmmm. Well, it wouldn’t be surprising if his lack of speech development was less physical and more mental. If he had bonded with his grandmother for most of his life before being thrust into a new environment, it would make sense for him to revert in some ways. We could definitely do diagnostic tests on his brain and magic levels to make sure everything there is progressing normally, but given the information now, I would say that he’s just getting used to a new life. Children can be much more noticeable of things going on around them than you’d think. I would say to give him a bit more time, give him a bit more attention and praise him highly when he  _does_  begin to speak.”  
  
Harry was nodding fervently with everything the mediwizard was saying, but Draco was frowning. Could it really be that easy?  
  
“How much longer of him not speaking until you’d think it okay for us to return and see if there are any other options?”  
  
Both the mediwizard and Harry turned to look at him, but Draco kept speaking.  
  
“I recognize that it must have been hard on him to go through that sort of trauma, losing his parents at a young age and then losing the only mother figure he’d ever known, but what happens if he still hasn’t spoken by the time he’s three? Or four? Or when he’s about to head off to Hogwarts? If something more is wrong with him and we don’t catch it now, it could get worse.”  
  
“I assure you, Mr. Malfoy, that if we find anything wrong with him following our tests, we would call you in immediately to discuss courses of action. For now, I think you should take him home and try and give him a sense of normalcy. Did he have a lot of interaction with others while he lived with his grandmother? If not, it wouldn’t necessarily be smart to have a bunch of people over a lot. Did he have any specific rituals with her? Did they take walks on Sundays, or read a certain book every night before bed? I know those things are hard to find out now, but those are the sorts of things I’m talking about. If there was something Teddy was used to before his grandmother’s passing, other than seeing her every day of his young life, it would benefit him to reintroduce those things or similar things to get him on some sort of routine again. Routines make children feel safe, and that could play a large role in their development.”  
  
The words of the mediwizard were playing in Draco’s head over and over as the three of them made their way home and Harry began to prepare dinner. Draco sat on the floor with Teddy, playing with him with his favorite stuffed Hippogriff as he began to think about what he could do to help.  
  
“Do you think we could use Legilimency to see what he’s thinking, or is that...dangerous?” Draco called out, trying to hold back his laugh as Harry poked his head around the corner of the kitchen.  
  
“Are you serious? I mean, we’d have to ask Hermione, but wouldn’t that be a little much for a baby?”  
  
“He’s hardly a baby, are you, Teddy? Tell Harry that you’re a big boy now! Tell him!”  
  
Teddy just sat there and stared between the two older men before Draco sighed, flumping down onto his back, looking up at Harry upside down.  
  
“You know, you look like less of a prat when you aren’t rightside up.”  
  
Harry scowled, but it was without malice.  
  
“Thanks, ferret! I’ll remember that!”  
  
Draco smiled to himself as Harry once more disappeared into the kitchen. He rolled over onto his stomach and reached over to poke Teddy in his tummy, smiling wider as the boy laughed. Maybe the mediwizard was right. Maybe Teddy just needed a more stable routine to get used to. Maybe everything would be fine after all.  
  


~

  
  
It was an entire month of following daily routines that Draco and Harry finally saw progress with Teddy. Harry had taken a break from appearing in the wizarding world, something that was not only helpful for Teddy, but for Draco and Harry as well. Draco was sick of Harry coming home stressed and having an attitude, and Harry was afraid that he wasn’t around enough for Teddy. Now that everything had been going smoothly, neither man had anything to worry about. That was how they found themselves sitting around a fire, taking turns reading lines of a book to Teddy.  
  
“And the little bunny said ‘No, Mr. Farmer, I wasn’t stealing your carrots, I was borrowing them! I promise I was going to return them!’”  
  
It was hard for Draco not to laugh at the high voice Harry took when he read as the bunny, but it wasn’t anything close to how hard it was for Harry to stop his own laughter when Draco’s voice went deep to read as the farmer.  
  
“‘Well’, said the farmer, ‘I guess if you were just going to  _borrow_  the carrots, I can’t be too mad --’”  
  
“Carrot!”  
  
Draco and Harry stopped, eyes wide as they looked down to see Teddy’s hair a bright orange, his eyes the same as he laughed and laughed and laughed.  
  
“Carrots carrots carrots carrots!”  
  
“Oh, Teddy! You can speak!”  
  
“Carrots!”  
  
Teddy continued to say the word over and over again as Harry and Draco laughed, pure happiness evident in both of their faces. There was nothing to worry about. Everything was fine.  
  
It took a while for everyone to settle down and for Teddy to finally fall asleep, but eventually Draco was able to sit in the kitchen, drinking a cup of tea and thinking on the day. It had been almost three months since he’d arrived at Harry’s home and found himself in the guardianship of young Teddy, and had his life completely changed. Just as he finished his cup of tea, Harry entered the room, dressed in his pajamas with his hair the usual mess. He took the chair next to Draco and grinned the most genuine grin Draco had ever seen on Potter’s face.  
  
“Today was a pretty eventful day, huh?”  
  
Draco nodded, smiling around his cup as he took the last sip.   
  
“I’m so glad everything’s fine. It’s been a very strange few months around here.”  
  
“Yeah, strange.” Draco trailed off, once again deep in thought. “I’d have never begun to imagine that I wouldn’t mind living anywhere with you, but it’s like taking care of Teddy is the one huge thing we can agree on, and it’s...kind of great. Surprisingly great.”  
  
Draco could see Harry’s smile from his peripheral vision, and he wondered if the other man had any idea of the way he just exuded happiness with just a simple action.  
  
“You’re kind of surprising yourself, Draco.”  
  
It was one of the few times Harry had actually addressed him by his first name, and the word made him turn, eyes flickering between Harry’s as they stared.   
  
“Yeah? What’s so surprising?”  
  
Harry smirked, and Draco couldn’t help but smirk right back.  
  
“Pretty much everything, honestly.”  
  
They shared a smile before going their separate ways. That night, both Harry and Draco lay in their beds, thinking about what sort of future they could have together, the two of them and Teddy. For Draco it hadn’t been too far of an imaginative journey. He had always been attracted to both men and women, and once he’d gotten past the whole Boy-Who-Lived thing, Potter wasn’t really that bad. For Harry though, it was a bit different when thinking about what sort of future could be out there for the two of them. For now he just assumed they would live together with Teddy until Teddy was old enough to understand the guardianship situation he’d been thrust into following Andromeda’s death. But would Harry be able to let that happen after anticipating living with Draco for a number of years? He was already feeling closer to the man and it had only been a few months.  
  
It was that night in particular that was important not only for Teddy’s miraculous first words, but for the resolution both men made; they would try and make more of their situation together with Teddy and with each other, no matter where that road took them.  
  


~

  
  
_Five years later_  
  
“Uncle Draco! Uncle Harry! I caught one! I caught a frog! I saw it chasing Rosie and I caught it!” A lanky boy with long violet hair came running towards everyone sitting on the back deck of The Burrow, heading straight towards two men that were sitting near the end of the deck, holding hands.  
  
“Uncle Draco look! It’s green!” At that, Teddy’s own hair turned a bright neon green, and everyone sitting around began to laugh. On Harry’s left sat Hermione holding her newest son Hugo, Ron by her side. Next to him was Percy and his family, and then a gaggle of other Weasleys milling about. On Harry’s right sat Draco, blonde hair in a messy braid thanks to Teddy’s earlier work. Everyone looked happy and content, Teddy the most of all.  
  
“Alright, alright, hand over the frog!” Harry laughed, reaching for the young boy’s hands and taking the struggling thing away.   
  
“You’re getting too old to be messing around with disgusting creatures.” Draco frowned, but it was without malice. “Now go wash your hands before you get warts and infect all of us!”  
  
Teddy’s emerald green eyes got wide and he scurried away into the house, leaving Harry to turn towards Draco with a smile.  
  
“And you, too! You should know better.”  
  
“There’s nothing wrong with frogs, you know!” Neville piped up, bouncing his own young child on his knee. “They’re actually quite clean! Well, but that one’s from the wild, so you don’t really know, but still.”  
  
Draco nudged Harry before reaching for his wand and spelling away the sliminess, sharing a smile with the other man as their fingers interlocked and their hands fit together perfectly.  
  
There was a crash from inside the house, followed by the pitter-patter of feet running far away. Heaving a sigh, Harry stood, pulling Draco up with him as they went to find their Teddy, no doubt causing more trouble. Once out of sight from the rest of the adults, Harry pulled Draco to his chest and kissed him softly on the lips, his bright green eyes shining as they pulled away.  
  
“Let’s go find our little monster, shall we?”  
  
Draco grinned, following the other man’s lead through the home. For the first time in a long time, he didn’t have to hide, and he was truly happy. All in thanks to their ‘little monster’, their Teddy.

 

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